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Apparently, this was overseen by the Department of Home Affairs. The recently appointed PM of Australia (Scott Morrison) used to be the Minister for Home Affair

Apparently, this was overseen by the Department of Home Affairs. The recently appointed PM of Australia (Scott Morrison) used to be the Minister for Home Affairs. His new appointment to the role (Peter Dutton) was one of the primary instigators in the recent power exchange (he actually wanted the top job for himself, but lost the party vote). Considering the history of both of these men, I predict a grim history for Australia's privacy related laws. They're both staunchly pro-surveillance, anti-immigration (to the point of racism) and, I suspect, highly corrupt. I know that last statement is accusative, but Peter Dutton is currently embroiled in a situation where he released a French au pair and her partner from immigration detention because (allegedly) her prospective employer's second cousin lobbied the government to do so, and that family has donated large amounts of funds to the party. Meanwhile, others are held in sub-human conditions purely for trying to arrive in Australia as refugees, by boat. This situation is unfolding right now, but I doubt there will be any fallout. Australia's current leadership was not voted in by the population of the country (as seems to be the trend for the last few years, no matter who you voted for), and seems to be set on an anti-privacy, liberty-destroying, nationalist agenda. As an Australian, I'm incredibly embarrassed by all involved.

ajdlinux 8y ago
Small correction: Morrison was not Minister for Home Affairs, he was Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Dutton was appointed Minister for Home Affairs upon establishment of DHA at the end of 2017. Before the establishment of DHA, which merged Immigration with other "national security" matters, responsibility for general law enforcement matters, including the telecommunications interception laws, the metadata retention scheme, and so on, lay with the Attorney-General's Department, not the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. DHA is a portfolio that's more or less specifically designed to deliver policy like this and frame everything in terms of "national security". Even the DHA staff I personally know aren't fans of how the structure of the national security bureaucracy has changed over the last year. My bigger problem here is lack of pushback from the Opposition. The "bipartisan consensus" on national security matters need not mean uncritical acceptance of badly-designed laws and inhumane policies.
stephen_g 8y ago
The one positive is that the leadership mess has made it all but impossible for them to win the next election. Unfortunately a lot of damage can be done in that time but it should be less than a year away. The sooner the better... I plan to write to a bunch of Labor MPs/Senators about this, hopefully they can be nudged towards sanity (as Stephen Conroy eventually was on his terrible idea of the internet filter years ago).

ajdlinux 8y ago

Small correction: Morrison was not Minister for Home Affairs, he was Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Dutton was appointed Minister for Home Affairs upon establishment of DHA at the end of 2017. Before the establishment of DHA, which merged Immigration with other "national security" matters, responsibility for general law enforcement matters, including the telecommunications interception laws, the metadata retention scheme, and so on, lay with the Attorney-General's Department, not the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. DHA is a portfolio that's more or less specifically designed to deliver policy like this and frame everything in terms of "national security". Even the DHA staff I personally know aren't fans of how the structure of the national security bureaucracy has changed over the last year. My bigger problem here is lack of pushback from the Opposition. The "bipartisan consensus" on national security matters need not mean uncritical acceptance of badly-designed laws and inhumane policies.

stephen_g 8y ago

The one positive is that the leadership mess has made it all but impossible for them to win the next election. Unfortunately a lot of damage can be done in that time but it should be less than a year away. The sooner the better... I plan to write to a bunch of Labor MPs/Senators about this, hopefully they can be nudged towards sanity (as Stephen Conroy eventually was on his terrible idea of the internet filter years ago).